STUDY

Special admission procedure for the Bachelor in International Business and Economics

In case you would like to apply and enrol for the Bachelor’s degree programme in International Business and Economics at the University of Klagenfurt, you need to complete two separate procedures:

Special admission procedure
General admission procedure

On this page, you can find information on the special admission procedure.

General information:

Basic information on the special admission procedure
Who has to complete the special admission procedure?
Special admission procedure in table view

Steps of the special admission procedure:

Registration
Payment of the application fee
Part 1 of the special admission procedure
Part 2 of the special admission procedure
Acceptance of the university place

Contact & Information

International Business and Economics
E-mail: ibec [at] aau [dot] at

Programme: www.aau.at/en/bachelor-ibe

Regulation on the special admission procedure (PDF) / Verordnung des Rektorates zum Aufnahmeverfahren (PDF, German version, legally binding)

Regulation on the application fee (PDF) / Kostenbeitragsverordnung (PDF, German version, legally binding)

Special admission procedure 2025
University places: 50
Start of studies: academic year 2025/2026

Links

New starter checklist

General admission procedure

Proficiency in English

Entry and residence

Admission to the Bachelor’s degree programme

To begin the Bachelor’s degree programme in International Business and Economics, you have to meet the following conditions:

Successful completion of the special admission procedure
Successful completion of the general admission procedure
- As part of the general admission procedure, Proof of proficiency in English at level B2 (CEFR) must be evidenced. Prospective students, who have successfully completed the special admission procedure, but who do not meet the English language requirements as stipulated in Section 8 of the Regulation on the admission to the Bachelor’s degree programme in International Business and Economics at the University of Klagenfurt and/or do not meet the admission criteria as stipulated by Section 63 ff of the Universities Act, are not eligible for admission to the degree programme.

Basic information on the special admission procedure

The special admission procedure for the Bachelor’s degree programme in International Business and Economics takes place just once per year, before the start of the winter semester. Students who successfully complete the special admission procedure can begin their studies in the subsequent winter semester or in the following summer semester.

50 students can be accepted for the academic year 2025/2026 (winter semester and summer semester) on the basis of this special admission procedure.

The special admission procedure is being carried out, as the number of binding registrations for the special admission procedure exceeds 50. 322 applicants have registered bindingly in a timely manner.

Who has to complete the special admission procedure?

The provisions governing the special admission procedure apply to all prospective students, provided that they are not exempt pursuant to Section 1 (2) of the Rectorate’s regulation governing the admissions procedure for the Bachelor’s degree programme in International Business and Economics.

Special admission procedure in table view

The steps of the special admission procedure in table view:

WHAT	WHO	WHEN	WHERE/HOW
Registration for the admission procedure¹	all applicants for the Bachelor’s degree in International Business and Economics	13 January to 24 February 2025 (23:59 hours CET)	Online registration complete the registration for the admission procedure in the registration portal You can find detailed information in Step 1
Payment of the application fee	all applicants who have successfully registered for the special admission procedure	13 January to 24 February 2025 (23:59 hours CET)	Pay the application fee by means of the ePayment service provided You can find detailed information in Step 2
Confirmation of registration	University of Klagenfurt	once you have registered for the special admission procedure and you have paid the application fee	confirmation of the successfully completed registration for the special admission procedure You can find detailed information in Step 1
Part 1 of the admission procedure: letter of motivation	all applicants who have successfully completed the registration for the admission procedure	13 January to 3 March 2025 (23:59 hours CET)	upload the letter of motivation to the registration portal You can find detailed information in Step 3
Part 2 of the admission procedure: online examination ²	all applicants who have completed part 1 of the admission procedure in a correct and timely manner	23 April 2025	detailed information about the time and procedure will be confirmed by e-mail You can find detailed information in Step 4
Ranking	University of Klagenfurt	by 26 May 2025	an e-mail is sent to all participants in the online exam You can find detailed information in Step 4
Acceptance of the university place	applicants who receive a conditional offer of study by e-mail	within 14 days from the day on which the conditional offer of study is sent	confirmation of acceptance by e-mail (reply to the e-mail with the conditional offer of study) You can find detailed information in Step 5

The separate steps of the special admission procedure in detail

STEP 1: Registration

All applicants to the Bachelor’s degree programme in International Business and Economics must register for the special admission procedure¹ exclusively within the registration period, using only the online registration.

Registration period

13 January 2025 to
24 February 2025

Online registration

Registration for the special admission procedure for all students for whom this is the first degree at the University of Klagenfurt

Carry out the online registration to receive a user account. Applicants must provide an e-mail address for the purpose of registration (e.g. Gmail, yahoo, etc.). Fill in all fields marked with an asterisk (*). After the online registration you will receive an e-mail, inviting you to activate your user account.
Click on the link provided in the e-mail you have received. As part of the account activation procedure, you will be required to choose a username and define a password. Be sure to remember your access data (username and password). You will keep your username throughout your entire time at the University of Klagenfurt.
Once your user account is active, you can log in to the registration portal using your access data (username and password). Complete your personal details. Select the degree programme of your choice and register for the special admission procedure for the degree programme.

Registration for the special admission procedure for individuals who are already students at the University of Klagenfurt

Log in to your student portal and select the link Bewerbungsportal (registration portal) under services in the menu on the left-hand side.
Click on Bewerbung (registration). Select the degree programme of your choice and register for the special admission procedure for the degree programme.

Registrations for the special admission procedure that are submitted in another form or that arrive after the deadline cannot be considered.

Due to having registered for the special admission procedure in the registration portal, the step „Online registration“ in the general admission procedure must be skipped. Simply use the access data you received during the registration for the special admission procedure.

Confirmation of registration

The confirmation of registration will be available after completing Step 2 (Payment of application fee). Therefore, provide your personal details (name, date of birth, citizenship etc.) in accordance with your passport and in a correct manner.

STEP 2: Payment of the application fee

Pay the 50 € application fee by means of the ePayment service provided.

The entire fee must be transferred to the bank account of the University of Klagenfurt within the registration period and it must be attributable to the respective applicant. Otherwise, the application cannot be considered. Therefore, make sure to pay the application fee correctly.

The application fee is non-refundable. There are no exceptions.

Application fee

Payment period:
13 January 2025 to
24 February 2025

Amount: 50 €

FAQ

Bank transfer

You cannot make a bank transfer because it is NOT included in the ePayment service provided. You will not receive any payment details such as the recipient, IBAN, BIC, reference number etc. for the payment of the application fee.

Button has vanished and payment cannot be initiated

If the payment of the application fee fails or is interrupted, the button will disappear and you will need to wait for about 3 hours before you can initiate the payment again. So, after waiting for about 3 hours, please log in to the registration portal and try paying the application fee again.

STEP 3: Part 1 of the special admission procedure – letter of motivation

The first part of the special admission procedure consists of uploading the letter of motivation within the stipulated period, using the registration portal of the University of Klagenfurt.

Incomplete applications cannot be considered and will be invalidated after the deadline for uploading the motivation letter! If you have uploaded your motivation letter but you haven’t paid the application fee by 24 February 2025, your application will be considered incomplete.

Letter of motivation

Upload deadline:
3 March 2025

File format: PDF

Registration portal

Content

The letter of motivation should provide an indication of the extent to which you have thought about your choice of degree programme. You should therefore take particular care to answer in your own words (no copy-paste, no ChatGPT or similar systems) the following seven questions, each no longer than one sentence:

Why did you choose to apply to the International Business and Economics (IBEC) programme?
Why should we choose you as a candidate for this programme?
Please provide the link to your country’s statistical office and mention the most interesting piece of data you found on that webpage.
What is the most cited paper of Dmitri Blueschke?
How many ECTS are required in the STEOP phase (Introductory and Orientation Period) of the IBEC programme?
Which teacher at your school had the most influence on your decision to pursue a career in this field, and how did they impact your choice?
What was the last book, podcast, or article you read related to International Business and Economics?

Layout

Scope: approximately 1, and no more than 2 DIN A4 pages
Font size: 12
Font: e.g. Times New Roman
Line spacing: 1.5
Language: English

STEP 4: Part 2 of the special admission procedure – the online examination

The successful completion of the 1st part of the special admission procedure forms the basis for participating in the online examination. ²

The purpose of the examination is to determine the understanding of the literature provided.

Alternative dates or repetition of the online examination on another day are not possible.

Date of the online examination

23 April 2025

Language of examination

English

Examination literature

Chapters 1-2 (Chapter 1: The capitalist revolution; Chapter 2: Technology, population, and growth) from the book “The Economy 1.0”
Open access version
Chapter Problem Solving and Taxes and Chapter Finance (pages 197–208 only) from the book “Math in Society”
Open access version

(Last updated: 15 October 2024)

Examination procedure

The exam will be held online via the Moodle examination platform using Multiple-Choice questions about the given literature. The corresponding link and technical details will be provided to the applicants by e-mail. The answers to the questions must be entered within the specified time window (1 hour). The exam will be conducted in an open-book format, which means that all support materials may be used: computer, provided examination literature, any books, calculator, pen and paper, etc. Not allowed are: help of other persons, any communication software, explicit artificial intelligence tools, mobile phone (except if it is used to attend the exam).

Technical requirements

To participate in the online examination, applicants must have

a desktop computer or laptop,
a stable Internet connection
a camera, and
a microphone.

Identification

Before the start of the examination, the invigilator checks the identity of each applicant. To this end, applicants must present an official photographic identity document on the day of the examination. This document needs to be held into the camera upon request. If it is not possible to verify a candidate’s identity by means of an official photo ID and if the candidate’s identity cannot be proven beyond doubt by any other suitable means, the candidate concerned cannot participate in the examination. An alternative date will not be offered.

Audio-visual connection during the examination

During the examination, the applicants’ camera setting must allow permanent eye contact. Should a technical problem occur during the examination (transmission interruptions, video/audio failures, etc.), the examination can be continued if the interruption was only brief. If the disruption or, respectively, the malfunction is of longer duration, the exam is considered to have been cancelled and the 2nd part of the special admission procedure cannot be completed. Further details concerning the online examination are available in the regulation governing the special admission procedure.

Sample of the examination

We are pleased to provide a sample of the examination for your convenience. Please note that this sample serves for informational purposes only. The sample is from the 2019 examination, for which some other parts of the provided literature were considered.

Ranking

Applicants are ranked in accordance with the number of points reached within the scope of the admission exam.

Participants will be informed about the results of the admission exam by e-mail by 26 May 2025. A list with information on the number of points achieved will not be made available.

STEP 5: Acceptance of the university place

The applicants ranked in priority (see Ranking) will receive a conditional offer of study (provisional confirmation of their university place) by e-mail.

If you receive a conditional offer of study, confirm by e-mail that you accept your place. To do so, reply to the e-mail with the conditional offer of study. Heed the deadline which will be communicated to you in the e-mail. If no response is received by that deadline, the application will be rejected.

With the acceptance of the university place, the special admission procedure is completed.

To begin the Bachelor’s degree programme in International Business and Economics, applicants must also complete the general admission procedure.

If you do not have the Austrian school leaving certificate / general higher education entrance qualification from Germany, you must apply for admission to the Bachelor’s degree programme.

Submit your application for admission once you receive the e-mail with the conditional offer of study and you have replied to it.

Important information

1 Conducting the special admission procedure

The special admission procedure is carried out if the number of registrations (applications) for the admission procedure exceeds 50.

If the number of registrations (applications) does not reach the predetermined number of places for the Bachelor’s degree programme on 24 February 2025, the special admission procedure for this academic year is dispensed with. In this case, only the general admission procedure needs to be completed.

2 Conducting or, respectively, potential cancellation of the online examination

The online examination will not take place if fewer than 50 applicants successfully complete the first part of the special admission procedure. Applicants will be notified by e-mail of the fact that the online exam will not take place.

Evidence of proficiency in English at the B2 level (CEFR)

The required knowledge of English must be documented by one of the following certificates. The certificates mentioned under points 5 to 7 must not be more than two years old at the time of application for admission:

Successful completion of the subject English at the level of the Austrian Matura/school leaving examination (provided in the form of an Austrian certificate of the final school year)
Successful completion of the subject English as part of the school leaving examination at a school in a member state of the European Union or the European Economic Area, Switzerland, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United States of America, Australia, New Zealand or Canada. If the level B2 (CEFR) of English is not explicitly stated on the school-leaving certificate, corresponding confirmation from the school administration may be requested.
Austrian certificate testifying the right to study, including a pass in English at level B2
Completion of a study programme conducted in English and lasting at least two years at a recognised post-secondary educational institution in a member state of the European Union or the European Economic Area, Switzerland, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United States of America, Australia, New Zealand or Canada.
TOEFL iBT (Minimum Score: 87)
IELTS (minimum overall band score: 6.5 & at least 6 for each individual assessment area)
Cambridge English: First Certificate in English (FCE) or B2 First (result Level B2) or higher

Entry and residence

If you are not originally from Austria, please inform yourself in good time about any applicable entry and residence requirements.

Potentially, you will need a residence permit and a visa. You will need to apply for the residence permit and the visa on your own, before you enter Austria. The University of Klagenfurt cannot support applicants in that regard.

Applications for a residence permit and applications for a visa are time consuming! The processing time of an application for a residence permit/visa can be several months. Therefore, you should start the process as early as possible.

Additional documents might need to be legalised and/or translated for a residence permit/visa application to be considered complete.

Important links relating to entry & residence

International Office (AAU) – Entry & residence

MIGRATION.gv.at

OeAD – Entry and Residence (General Information)

OeAD – Entry and Residence (EU/EEA/Swiss)

OeAD – Entry and Residence (Third Countries)

University of Klagenfurt: International Office

The Admissions and Examinations Office is not in charge of matters related to accommodation, residence permits, visas etc.

If you have got questions regarding the residence permit and/or visa, direct them to the authority responsible.

Student union fees/university fees

Following the successful enrolment, the prescribed student union fees/university fees must be paid in a timely and orderly manner by the end of the admission period.

The admission to the degree programme is only valid once the prescribed fees have been paid in full and on time. Students can only register for courses once the fees have been paid.

Student union fees/university fees

Term dates and deadlines

The academic year commences on the 1^st of October and ends on the 30^th of September of the following year. It consists of the winter semester and the summer semester, each including the recess period. The winter semester begins on the 1^st of October, the summer semester begins on the 1^st of March. Courses in the winter semester begin on the 1^st of October, courses in the summer semester begin on the 1^st of March (see academic calendar).

Disclosure of data

Participation in the special admission procedure for the indicated degree programme at the University of Klagenfurt involves the transfer of your personal data (name, date of birth, identification code, as well as selected field of study and selected degree programme) to other Austrian universities in the case of entering clearing at the university of your choice.

In the course of the preliminary proceedings, personal data may be passed on to third parties.

In the event of doubt, the university reserves the right to verify the authenticity of any documents submitted.

Regulation on the special admission procedure

The official version of the regulation (in German) was published in the University Bulletin of the University of Klagenfurt.

For informational purposes, we are pleased to provide a legally non-binding translation for your convenience.